Business Insider/Jessica Tyler Order kiosks and pickup lockers are both being tested in Dunkin's Innovation Lab.
- Dunkin' Donuts - which is now just Dunkin' - revealed its plans for the "store of the future" in early September, starting with a name change that rolled out to about 50 stores earlier this year.
- The name change is the beginning of a major rebrand that includes a new store design, new drinks, new espresso machines, and more.
- Before Dunkin' rolls out new technology in stores, it tests everything in its Innovation Lab in Quincy, Massachusetts. Business Insider got a look inside.
Dunkin' Donuts - now just Dunkin' - revealed its plans for the "store of the future" experience in early September, starting with a name change that rolled out to about 50 stores earlier this year.
But the name change is only the beginning for Dunkin'. The Massachusetts-based coffee empire is undergoing a major rebrand that includes a new store design, drinks like nitro-infused cold brew, and digital-ordering kiosks. The rebrand also includes a focus on its new espresso, which required installing brand-new espresso machines at every store possible and conducting four- to five-hour training sessions for store managers nationwide.
Before any changes are rolled out to stores, they're tested out in Dunkin's Innovation Lab, attached to its first "store of the future" in Quincy, Massachusetts. The Innovation Lab is where Dunkin' is currently testing out products like self-serve cold-brew taps, order-pickup lockers, and AI technology that can help suggest orders based on customers' gender, age, and mood.
Dan Wheeler, Dunkin' Brands' vice president of strategic initiatives, told reporters on Tuesday that Dunkin' won't shy away from automation as it continues to rebrand. He said that customers should be able to order through a robot and let a human make the coffee, emphasizing all of the on-the-go order options Dunkin' is developing.
Take a look inside the lab where Dunkin' is developing its latest technology that might be rolled out to stores in the future:
